Tuesday, November 19, 2024

The Freelance Adventurer's 2024 Holiday Gift Guide for Outdoor Enthusiasts

 


This holiday season, surprise the adventurers, hikers, campers, and outdoor-loving families in your life with gifts they’ll truly appreciate. From practical trail gear to cozy campfire comforts, here’s my curated 2024 Holiday Gift Guide, packed with items I personally love and trust.  Most are linked on my Amazon Page (affiliated) on my 2024 Holiday Gift Guide List but some are also not available on Amazon and have been linked to the website (non affiliated).  Hope you all have a great gift giving season!!!


For Hikers and Trail Enthusiasts

  • Therm-a-Rest Z Seat
    Perfect for day hikers and backpackers, this lightweight, compact, and durable foam seat adds a layer of comfort for trailside lunches or scenic rests. Affordable and packable—every hiker needs one!

  • Swiss Army Knife
    A timeless classic for hikers and adventurers alike. Compact yet versatile, this multi-tool will prepare anyone for unexpected trail tasks or camp needs.

My trusty swiss army knife is one
of my favorite pieces of outdoor gear.


  • Darn Tough Socks
    The ultimate stocking stuffer! These Vermont-made socks are moisture-wicking, blister-resistant, and incredibly durable. I’m gifting them to all the adults in my family this year—they're that good!


For Outdoor Kids

  • Adjustable Rollerblades
    Inspire a love of outdoor movement with adjustable rollerblades for growing kids. These are fun for smooth trails, driveways, or park paths, encouraging adventure close to home.
My kids love playing street hockey in the driveway
 in these adjustable rollerblades.  Great for multiple years.



For Adventure Apparel Lovers

  • Burgeon Highlander Hoodie
    Crafted right here in New Hampshire, this high-performance hoodie is perfect for chilly hikes or après-ski. It’s a gift that’s stylish, warm, and built for rugged outdoor use.

This environmentally friendly brand sources
local materials and made in New Hampshire.


  • AMC Hat and Membership
    Give the gift of adventure with an Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) membership! Members enjoy perks like lodging discounts, expert trail resources, and supporting conservation. Pair it with an AMC hat for a complete gift.


For Campers and Cozy Comfort Seekers

  • Kelty Low Loveseat
    Whether it’s for camping, tailgating, or watching the kids’ games, this two-person chair adds a touch of luxury to any outdoor setting. Comfortable, portable, and durable—it’s a game changer!

  • Rumpl Blanket
    Warmth and durability meet style with these versatile blankets. Perfect for families, sports spectators, campers, or even travelers who appreciate a cozy layer on the go.


For Dog Lovers

  • Dog Emergency Sling
    A must-have for pet owners who love exploring trails with their pups. This emergency carry sling provides peace of mind if an injury occurs far from the trailhead.
This is a must have for those adventuring with their pup. 



For Sun Lovers 

  • Kinfield Sunscreen
    A thoughtful gift for anyone who spends time outdoors. This eco-friendly, effective sunscreen is lightweight and smells great, making it ideal for hiking, skiing, or just soaking up the sun.

And Ultralight Adventurers

  • Petzl Bindi Ultralight Headlamp
    Weighing just over an ounce, this headlamp is perfect for ultralight backpackers or anyone who values performance in a minimalist design. Ideal for early-morning summit hikes or late-night campsite tasks.


BONUS: A Gift That Inspires Adventure

  • My eBook: Seacoast Hikes and Nature Walks
    Share the joy of exploring New Hampshire’s stunning Seacoast region! My eBook highlights family-friendly trails, local tips, and breathtaking landscapes. It’s the perfect gift for aspiring adventurers or nature enthusiasts.
Support Seacoast Hikes!



Whether you're shopping for a seasoned trekker, a weekend warrior, or a family of explorers, this guide has something for everyone. Wishing you and your loved ones a holiday season full of joy, warmth, and adventure!

Looking for more?  Check out last years Gift Guide!


Happy Holidays from Lindsey, The Freelance Adventurer


Saturday, November 25, 2023

Unwrapping Adventure: Your 2023 Gift Giving Guide for the Outdoor Enthusiast

Are you struggling to find the perfect gift for the outdoor adventurer in your life? Look no further! This Gift Giving Guide is curated with tried-and-true gear that's sure to elevate their outdoor experiences. I personally love all these items and can attest to their awesomeness!

10 Gifts for the Outdoor Enthusiast:

These are linked to my Amazon Storefront List. I receive a commission when you purchase through this link. Thanks for you support!

1. Gregory Juno 30 Backpack (or Citro for Men)

Why it's a great gift: This is my favorite backpack for its versatility. I use it for day hikes, hut trips, or as a carry-on for travel. With a hydration pack included, it keeps your outdoor enthusiast refreshed and ready for any adventure.

Gregory Juno / Citro Hydro Backpack 


2. Topo Athletic Ultraventure Shoe

Why it's a great gift: After testing over 30 pairs of low top hiking shoes, this one emerged as the most comfortable. The Topo Athletic Ultraventure Shoe provides the perfect blend of support and comfort for every step on the trail.

Topo Ultraventure are a comfortable low top hiker


3. Kari Traa Merino Base Layer

Why it's a great gift: Keep the adventurer warm in any weather with the Kari Traa Merino Base Layer. Made from high-quality merino wool, it's not only cozy but also regulates body temperature, making it an ideal base layer for all outdoor activities. They also sell a polyester version.


4. SOL Fire Lite Rechargeable Lighter

Why it's a great gift: A reliable fire starter is a must for any outdoor enthusiast. The SOL Fire Lite Rechargeable Lighter ensures they can easily ignite a campfire or stove, even in challenging conditions. This was my favorite after testing many this fall for Field and Stream.

Electric lighter can light stoves and fires!

5. BruTrek BaseCamp French Press Coffee Maker

Why it's a great gift: For the coffee-loving adventurer, the BruTrek BaseCamp French Press is a game-changer. Brew a perfect cup of coffee right at the campsite and start the day off right. Matt and I use it as home as well!

Our BruTrek french press makes enough for two!

6. JPL Go 3 Portable Speaker

Why it's a great gift: Elevate the outdoor experience with some tunes. The JPL Go 3 Portable Speaker is compact, durable, and delivers impressive sound quality, ensuring good vibes in the campsite! (but don't blast music on the trail please!)

7. Darn Tough Hiking Socks

Why they're a great gift: Keep those feet happy with Darn Tough Hiking Socks. Known for their durability and comfort, these socks provide the support needed for long hikes and varied terrain. These are my favorite hiking socks...and everyday socks as well.

Darn Toughs come in great patterns and colors too!

8. Therm A Rest Seating Pad

Why it's a great gift: Take a load off! The Therm A Rest Seating Pad is lightweight, compact, and provides a comfortable place to sit during breaks or around the campfire. It's an essential in the winter for a summit break.

9. MT-100 Decathlon Puffer Jacket

Why it's a great gift: When the temperatures drop, the MT-100 Decathlon Puffer Jacket steps up to keep your adventurer warm. With its lightweight design and excellent insulation, it's perfect for chilly mornings, cold evenings, or as an extra layer during winter hikes. The jacket's compact nature also makes it easy to pack, ensuring it's always on hand when needed. Give the gift of warmth and style with this versatile puffer jacket. I've had mine for over a year and is my favorite mid layer.

The MT100 Decathlon puffer is comfortable and compactable!

10. Seacoast Hikes and Nature Walks E-book

Why it's a great gift: Inspire new adventures with the Seacoast Hikes and Nature Walks E-book. Packed with detailed trail information and stunning visuals, it's the perfect guide for discovering hidden gems in the great outdoors.

My book!

Enjoy!

This Gift Giving Guide ensures your outdoor enthusiast is well-equipped and ready for any adventure that comes their way. Happy gifting and happy trails!

Follow me on Instagram to follow my adventures!

Want more? Check out last years gift guide!


Sunday, August 20, 2023

Girls Trip 2023: North Cascades and Mt Rainier Loop - Hiking, Camping, and Sightseeing

Hiker with a cloudy Mt Rainier behind.  Text reads Washington Hiking Road Trip - North Cascades and Rainier Loop

 It's that time of year again... GIRLS TRIP!  Leanne and I are far from "girls" its seems as 40-year-old women, but we still have been having this traditional trip since 2007!  With my parents in Portland, Oregon willing to watch the kids for a week, I looked for a trip that would be easily accessible from this site.  Never having been to North Cascades National Park nor Mt Rainier National Park, I decided to plan a camping/hiking trip that visited both parks with the bulk of the trip centering around some intensive day hiking in North Cascades.  As it seems to happen to us a lot, our plans were sadly changed when fires broke out the day before we entered the park and escalated - forcing us to evacuate and change our plans a bit.  We rolled with it and it still turned out a great trip.  Here's our *revised* itinerary.

Here's how to recreate this adventure....

Day 1: Pick up Campervan in Portland, Oregon and Drive to Olympia, Washington

We started by renting a camper van out of Portland, Oregon. Unfortunately, we didn't love the van so I'm not going to name drop (feel free to DM me on instagram for the name). But it had over 300,000 miles on it, broken hubcaps, dirty, and overall beat up. (Spoiler: it made the trip) However, I wasn't pleased.  Either way, we picked it up and drove north.  Our first night camping was at a private campground in Olympia that was meant to break up the drive. The campground was called Riverbend.  Tent sites were large, private, and had a great waterfront access.  There was a flush bathroom on site but it was a bit of a walk, however, each tent site had it's own porta potty too! We made dinner, enjoyed the river view, and spent our first night figuring out the van bed. 

Day 2: North Cascades - Visitor Center, Set up Camp, Short Hikes

We had a leisurely morning, then took off to North Cascades National Park.  We stopped at the visitor center near Newhalem, got a park map, bought some souvenirs, then took off to do a set of short hikes before reaching our campground.  Here are some great small hikes to do when you first arrive:

- Stirling Munro Trail: This short but scenic boardwalk trail is only 300 feet long.  It weaves through trees to a mountain overlook and departs directly behind the Visitor Center.

- Trail of Cedars: This short and easy 0.6 mile out and back trail weaves through Cedar giants, along the shores of the glacial blue Skagit River. 

- Ladder Creek Falls: Though only 0.5 mile loop, this trail is steep.  It crosses a bridge and climbs behind the Newhalem Gorge Powerhouse to Ladder Creek Falls - small, yet beautiful waterfall.

- Gorge Overlook Trail: This 1/3 mile loop trail climbs to give views of the Gorge Dam and Ross Lake.*Here we got our first glimpses of (at that time) a very small wildfire on the hill across.

After we finished these hikes, we checked into our campsite at Colonial Creek South Campground.  We booked this site exactly 6 months prior to arrival - the soonest offered.

Happy to be in North Cascades National Park!

Day 3: North Cascades - Maple Pass Loop and Rainey Lake

- Maple Pass Loop: Today was about a very special hike.  I was dying to hike Maple Pass Loop.  We woke up to a smoke campground and drove east, hoping to escape the bad air on our big hiking day.  We had read that this was a popular hike so we arrived at the trailhead around 8 am and found plenty of parking.  While the hike started smoky, we soon hike above the smoke and had clean air, blue sky, and perfect hiking weather.  We tackled the loop in a counter clockwise manner, which we were happy with.  The hike was moderately challenging, and extremely rewarding.  We got to back to the van around 2pm where we switched shoes and hit up one more little hike.

- Rainey Lake Trail: This trail is 2.0 out and back to the clear blue Rainey Lake.  The ADA trail meanders through flat forest, then emerges on a viewing platform.  We cooled our feet in the water before heading back to the car and campsite.

On the drive back to the campsite, we saw views of the growing smoke and fires erupting from the shores and Sourdough Mountain on Diablo Lake - just a couple miles from our campground.  It was eerie and nerve-wracking.

Maple Pass Loop Views

Leanne hiking along Maple Pass Loop in North Cascades

Day 4: North Cascades - Blue Lake, Washington Pass Overlook, Cutthroat Lake, and Winthrop

Again, we decided to drive east, this time, not only to escape smoke put also to end in the town of Winthrop where we could resupply on ice. The smoke had blown through the cascade valley and unfortunately our entire day air quality showed evidence of the fires back on Diablo. Our hikes and stops included:

Blue Lake Trail: This 4.6 mile out and back trail was a relatively easy to moderate trail that rewarded with beautiful forests, mountain views, and a beautiful alpine lake.  This trail was crowded and busy at the lake.

Washington Pass Overlook: This overlook was our picnic lunch spot, and also included a 0.3 mile steep, yet paved overlook trail that awards is stunning views of Washington Pass and the twisted road below.

Cutthroat Lake Trail: This 3.8 mile easy to moderate trail had views of rising peaks on either side and ended at a solitude lake.  We had to drive a bumpy forest road to get to the trailhead, but the van handled it fine. We started this hike at 4:30 pm and saw few other hikers.  The views were beautiful but the air quality provided a reminder that the park was suffering. 

From this hike we drove another 30 minutes from Cutthroat Lake to the town in Winthrop where we planned to sightsee, grab dinner, and resupply.  Shockingly, when we returned to "service" we discovered the campground and highway 20 had been closed due to the fire and we were suddenly without a campsite.  While the letter said we could get our "stuff" until 10 pm at night, at that point we were 1.5-2 hr drive from the campsite and it was already 7:30 pm.  We decided to abandon our items (laundry line, table cloth, and some food in the bear box) and stay put.  I got us a last minute waterfront tent site at the Winthrop KOA and we hit the town.  We enjoyed walking the cute western town, grabbed burgers at the burger bar, ice cream, and settled in - trying to figure out our next plan of action.

Observing Fire-fighting efforts.  Thank you firefighters!
Winthrop's Western theme was adorable!

Day 5: Drive Winthrop to Leavenworth to Snoqualmie

Unfortunately, now it was a Saturday and we were striking out on finding a campsite as we meandered south toward Rainier.  Fortunately, a family friend offered her home!  Even though they weren't in town, they gave us access to their house in Snoqualmie and we slept in the van on their driveway.  We took off from Winthrop in a cloud of horrible air quality which continued for hours into our drive.  Looking to make the most of this new roundtrip, we decided to stop in the Bavarian-themed tourist town of Leavenworth for lunch.  It was rainy when we arrived, yet still enjoyed sightseeing and window shopping.  We waited in line for about 30 minutes to get a bratwurst and pretzel at München Haus, followed by pastries at the Danish Bakery. We had planned to hike near Snoqualmie, but it continued to rain and we just weren't feeling it.  We settled in at our friends, took much needed showers, visited a local gem and rock shop, then made our camp dinner in their kitchen.

Leavenworth is a Bavarian themed town in Washington.  We loved it!

Day 6: Mt Rainier - Longmire Area

Since check-in at our Rainier campground wasn't available until 1 pm, we had a leisurely morning and had a short (and very steep) hike:

Snoqualmie Falls: This was a 1.4 mile out and back paved trail through forest descending from the top parking lot to the bottom of the falls.  AllTrails says its 331 ft elevation gain which isn't too bad but it felt steep!  

Snoqualmie Falls

We drove to our next campground - this was a delight!  Elkamp campground was small and wooded with mossy cedars.  A brook ran next to our tentsite with a meadow and mountains behind.  It was only 30 minutes to the Longmire Visitor Center in Mt Rainier.  After setting up camp, we drive through the Nisqually entrance and to Longmire.  We visited the visitor center and did the following hikes in the area for the rest of the day:

- Trail of Shadows- This 0.7 mile loop is an easy trail of packed dirt and boardwalk.  It passes through a large forest with nurse logs, towering trees and marsh.

- Comet Falls Trail - This 3.8 out and back trail leads to the beautiful Comet Falls.  The trail climbs 900 feet in elevation on packed trail, some rock, and even a ladder.  AllTrails rates it as hard.  We saw gorgeous waterfalls, pika, marmots, and deer!  We arrived at the falls (one of the tallest in the park) at 5:30 pm.  We enjoyed taking photos, soaking in the views, then headed back down.  

We saw the sunset as we drove back to Elkamp, had a late dinner and prepared for an early morning hike the next day.

Comet Falls in Mt Rainier near Longmire area

Day 7: Paradise in Rainier: Skyline Loop and more

Today's goal was to hike the Skyline Loop.  The weather continued to mess with us.  After weeks of clear weather, both days we were in Rainier had horrible rain/fog forcasts.  However, we decided to try anyway.  Nervous about parking, we got to the Paradise Visitor Center Parking around 7 am and scored a spot in the first row.  Woohoo!  Banked in thick fog, it seemed silly to start the hike. I snoozed in the van while Leanne packed a trail lunch.  Around 9:30 am, we donned our rain gear and set out on the trail, doing it clockwise.

- Skyline Loop - Skyline Loop might go down as one of my favorite hikes of all time.  I can see why it's so popular.  It has everything in summer - glaciers, mountain views, gorgeous waterfalls, and even epic waterfalls - all in 5.5 miles.  The first part of the hike was all in fog and rain - however, not far after the glacial vista turnoff, we got a few "peeks" of Mt Rainier.  A few more showed up (although Panorama Point was in the clouds), and got a few fun photos with the volcano.  As we hiked the downside, I loved the glaciers and flowers.  We got lucky that the opposite ridge cleared and we enjoyed gorgeous mountain views throughout our descent. With all the stops and crowded trail, we didn't get back to the van until 2:30 pm.  

Our view of Mt Rainier through the clouds.

Not wanting the day to end, we got ice cream at the visitor center cafe, rested in the sun, toured the visitor center, and headed out on another little trail.

- Nisqually Vista Trail - Wanting to continue our experience, we hiked the 1.1 mile Nisqually Vista Trail near the visitor center.  It traveled through lichen adorned forest and (had the mountain been visible) a a nice view of Mt Rainier.

- Reflection Lake - We packed up the van and made one last stop.  We hit up Reflection Lake about 30 minutes prior to sunset hoping the mountain would emerge out of the clouds.  It never did, but the lake was beautiful and we enjoyed walking the short trail around half of it.

We returned to Elkamp and crashed for the night.

Day 8: Return the van

We had to have the van returned to Portland at 10 am.  So, we got up early, packed up and drove back. Returning the van was easy.  I was incredibly relieved the van survived the trip.

In summary

Even with the rickety van, wildfires, and canceled plans - I really enjoyed this trip.  It was definitely "hiking heavy" which was the intention.  Maple Pass Loop and Skyline Loop goes down as top ten hikes of my life.  If you have questions about the trip or want to see more photos, visit my instagram and DM me on here!

Woman looking out at view of mountains in North Cascades National Park at Washington Pass Overlook.

Here are some other similar adventure trips you might enjoy:

LA to Colorado - Hiking and Adventuring

Michigan Nature

Newfoundland